Rescuing Rei
by Clouds of Blue Fire
Summary: What happens when Kai finds out that Rei has a secret not that different to his own? Will their secret infatuations with each other bloom?
1. Secrets

Hey hey! It's my first fanfic for Beyblade! What happens when Kai finds out that Rei has a secret not that different to his own? Will their secret infatuation with each other be revealed?

Rated M

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. (Do we even have to put this in here? It seems pretty obvious that I'm not Takao Aoki. So I'll only say it once.)

* * *

It was early springtime in the village where Rei was born. The young beyblader lounged on the banks of a river that ran near his house, savouring the peace and quiet. The Bladebreakers had recently celebrated their victory at the world tournament then said goodbye to each other to return home for a well-earned break. Max had gone with his dad to America to see his mum, Tyson's grandfather was taking him to visit his archaeologist father in Egypt and Kenny had secured a student fellowship at a prestigious beyblade research lab in Tokyo. They had all sounded very happy to be splitting up for a while. Beyblading was fun but it was also hard work, they all knew they needed some time away.

Rei hadn't asked where Kai was going for the holidays. None of them knew much about where Kai went all the time when he disappeared on his own, much less where he would go to spend a couple of months. His other teammates always taunted him about his closed-off personality, everyone except for Rei. He and Kai had an unspoken understanding, a mutual respect, that Rei knew meant he would never try and delve into Kai's secrets. However curious he was, he had to respect Kai's privacy.

Besides, Rei had secrets of his own.

Rei understood Kai's cold, mysterious nature much better than anyone realised. When the Bladebreakers were on tour together Rei was always so happy. He was confident and kind, always ready to face a new challenge and learn from his mistakes. The world was so large but somehow he had found the best group of friends in the whole world, and his passion for blading had given him the opportunity to travel. It was good to be far away from his small village in China. It was the only time he felt safe or happy, the only time he was able to forget the things that haunted him and just focus on being himself.

Now the holidays had arrived and Rei had no choice but to return to China and the house where he grew up. His stomach rumbled. There was food in the house, but Rei didn't want to go inside just yet. He had only just got off the plane and knew that these were the last moments of peace he would get before he would have to leave behind the Rei that his friends knew and return to the person he was when he was at home.

With a sigh, he stood up and threw his mostly-empty bag over his shoulder. There was no delaying it anymore. He walked quietly up to the house and tapped on the door.

"Hello?" he said in Chinese. "Mei? Jin? I'm back."

There was no reply and the front door was always unlocked so he went inside. The house was just as he thought it would be: dirty and dusty from the months that Rei had been absent, dirty dishes piled in the sink and cat hair and mud all over the floor. It was Rei's job to clean the house since his foster mother Mei got sick, and in his absence it looked like his foster father Jin had failed to take on his chores. How unsurprising.

Rei moved through to his old room and dumped his bag on the floor. There was no furniture in his room, just an old sleeping mat rolled up in the corner. From the lack of sound in the house it was clear that his foster father was not home. Rei went into the next bedroom and found his foster mother asleep in bed, her gentle wheezing soft but laboured. He sat down on the bed and gently shook her awake.

"Mei? Mei, it's me Rei." The woman opened her eyes and looked up at him, her expression turning from surprise to concern.

"Rei. You're here." She said.

"You sound terrible, old woman." He teased her. A small smile crept at the corner of her lips. "Has he been treating you ok?" he asked seriously.

His foster mother didn't respond, but Rei saw the answer in her face and it made him mad.

"That bastard!" Ray spat. "I told him to give you your medicine and leave you alone while I was gone. Who the fuck does he think he is?"

Rei's fist was clenching the sheets tightly, more than a hint of rage in his eyes. His foster mother reached up and stroked his face and immediately Rei calmed down.

"I wished you didn't have to come back here, young tiger." She whispered. "He's been drinking more since you left. I don't want him to hurt you."

Rei took the hand that was stroking his face and held it in his. "I will always come back for you, Mei. I promise I won't let him hurt you." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'll bring you your medicine after dinner, ok?"

"Thank you Rei." She breathed, and promptly fell back asleep. Rei sat by her side for a moment, then he left to start on his chores. There was much to be done. First he went to the kitchen and washed and put away the dishes, then he swept and mopped the floors, dusted the rooms and the ceiling. He found their tiger tabby cat, Lin, and gave her a bath. She hissed at first, but with some gentle coaxing Rei was able to get her clean. His strange affinity with cats was very useful sometimes.

When he was finished with his chores it was almost time for the evening meal. Rei scoured the kitchen for some food, but could only come up with some rice, a few vegetables and some sauce. _Fried rice it is_, Rei thought, and made a mental note to go grocery shopping tomorrow.

Despite the lack of ingredients Rei was able to cook up a storm. He had learnt a lot about the culinary art form from his uncle before he had left the village to run his own restaurant in Paris. The inviting smell was wafting through the air and Rei was almost finished cooking when the door banged open.

His foster father was home.

There was a gasp of surprise followed by a moan of hunger as the man took in the clean house and smelled the fried rice. "Rei?" he shouted. "Rei, are you home?" The man rounded the corner and saw the young blader standing by the kitchen sink. He was dressed in traditional Chinese clothes, all dirty and slightly tattered. Like most people in the village his feet were bare and he wore a beard and a long, Chinese-style ponytail just like Rei's, as was traditional.

"Hello Jin," said Rei.

A dangerous smile lit up Jin's face. "Rei!" He rushed forward and pulled his young charge into a crushing embrace. "It's been too long!"

"Only six months." Rei's voice was muffled by the bigger man's shirt.

"I've really missed you, tiger," his hands slid down to grope Rei's butt, squeezing, "and your tight ass."

"Get off me." Rei pushed at him, but the man wouldn't let him go. He ground his pelvis into Rei's and grabbed his chin to force eye contact between them.

"Come now, Rei," he purred at him, his voice dripping with hidden malice. "You remember our arrangement, don't you? You want to see your foster mother get better, yes?"

There was a hint of hatred in Rei's eyes as he jerked his chin away from his hand. He had been the plaything of his foster father's for ten years now, ever since Jin had threatened to stop paying for his wife's medication. Mei was very sick and would most likely die without the proper treatment, and whenever Rei wasn't around it was she who copped most of Jin's abuse. Rei being there to willingly take the rough treatment in her place was the only thing that was keeping her alive. Rei nodded to show his foster father that he understood.

"Good," said the man. "Then play along, my pet. Make some noise."

Jin's hand slid down Rei's abdomen and under the waistline of his pants. Rei shivered at the touch, then his breathing changed as the hand started stroking him, gently and slowly at first, then getting faster and rougher. Rei's hands went to grip Jin's shoulders and he leaned into him, burying his face in his chest. Jin's hand pumped him so hard now that the whole kitchen sink was shaking behind them and Rei couldn't control himself anymore. He found himself making noises he hadn't made in months, noises he hated to hear coming from his own mouth. Long moans caused by the pleasure of the friction of Jin's calloused hand, interwoven with yelps of pain as his sensitive length was jerked and twisted harshly in sudden movements. The heat was too much; it was building to a point where he couldn't stand it. Just when he was approaching his climax, his foster father stopped.

Rei was panting and leaning on him for support, so when he quickly stepped away Rei almost fell. Quickly, he recovered his balance and glared at Jin, who wore a mischievous grin from ear to ear.

"You are a sick man, Jin." Rei panted.

"I know, my pet," Jin stroked Rei's ebony hair. "And you are beautiful when you're in heat. Irresistible."

Rei was filled with shame at the hormones he had allowed this man to release inside of him. He could feel his face was flushed, his arousal still evident. Outside of this house Rei was a strong and confident warrior, but inside he was weak and helpless to stop this man from doing these things to him.

The sun had set outside and Rei served dinner for the two of them to eat at the rickety old dining table. Rei wolfed down his food. He was starving from the long plane ride over to China, where the aeroplane food had been so terribly bland it had almost made him sick. Jin also ate like a beast. He probably hadn't had a decent cooked meal in six months, another reason why he enjoyed having Rei around. Both the food and the sex were paramount.

Speaking of which…

They had both just cleared their plates and Rei was about to start on the dishes when Jin made him stop and come over to where he was sitting. The look in his eyes was like that of a predator, and sadly Rei knew exactly what it meant he had to do. Hesitantly, but not too slowly in case he angered Jin, he got down on all fours and crawled under the table. He crawled up to Jin's chair and undid Jin's pants, opening them just enough to pull his penis out of its hiding place. He started to pleasure him using practised moves that Jin himself had taught him, licking the tip, massaging his balls with one hand and pumping up and down the shaft with the other.

Soon Jin was fully erect and Rei took this opportunity to place him fully inside his mouth, wrapping his arms around his waist. He heard Jin moan his name loudly. Hoping that it would be over soon Rei decided to go quickly and so he started humming and pumping his mouth up and down as fast as he could go. Inarticulate swearing could be heard above him and Jin's hand found its way to his hair, forcing him to slow down.

"I want to enjoy this, Tiger. Let's take our time, now."

The kitchen light flickered and buzzed, and Jin's moans became consistently louder. Finally he'd had enough and he pulled Rei off him and dragged him to his feet. Violent with lust, he ripped Rei's clothes off while the young blader just stood there trying not to shrink from his touch. Jin turned him around and pushed his chest down on the table using one hand to pin Rei's arms above his head, spreading his legs with his knees.

He took a moment to run a hand over Rei's well sculpted derrière, before a solitary finger thrust inside of him. Rei could barely mask a scream. The finger went in and out like a piston. Rei could see Jin smiling in the reflection of the window above the kitchen sink. Two fingers went in, then three. Finally Jin could take it no more and sheathed his entire length inside him in one go.

The thrusting began immediately. It was fast and rough and Rei cried out with every movement. Not just with pain, but with pleasure. He hated to admit it, but it had been six months since he'd last had sex and he really needed some. Jerking himself off in the shower while he was on tour just wasn't the same as being penetrated. He was almost past the point of caring who gave it to him. Almost. There was only one face that ever came to mind in moments like these, and when he thought of that person his body was overcome with such pleasure that he whined out loud.

"That's it." Jin grunted. "Say, 'fuck me hard'."

"Fuck…" Rei said in rhythm to his thrusts, "Me…Hard…Fuck…Me…Hard…" _Kai…_

The smell of sex and sweat was strong and Jin's animalistic grunts filled the kitchen. He was so big inside of him. He was hitting Rei's pleasurable spot now, the one so deep inside of him that he had never been able to find on his own. Rei was thinking of Kai's face, his well-muscled body, the smouldering stare of his red eyes. He found himself wondering what it would feel like to have Kai inside him instead of Jin, to have Kai's eyes reflected to him in the window, to have Kai's hands on his ass. Rei allowed himself to imagine because it was what would get him through the next few moments, and sure enough, with a loud groan Jin thrust hard inside of him and Rei felt himself being pushed over the brink. He came in uncontrollable waves of pleasure just as Jin erupted and collapsed panting across his back.

Rei wasn't repulsed at all by the act that had just come to an end, since it was someone much more pleasant that he was imagining above him. But as his foster father slid out of him and left the room to go have a shower, leaving Rei with a quick "Clean up the mess, ok Tiger?" the reality of the situation came flooding back to him. He hadn't just made glorious love with the secret object of his fantasies – his team captain Kai – he had been raped by his sick-minded foster father. Again. Everything that used to happen here in this house was happening again. Everything he'd run away from was still as real and painful as they were the day he left them.

Completely naked, Rei sunk to his knees on the kitchen floor and put his face in his hands. He cried like he hadn't done since he was a small boy and the doctors said his foster mother was sick. He felt so humiliated. He had let his foster father do this to him, _and_ he had enjoyed it. He had let himself think of Kai, let himself be comforted by the thought of someone who would never return his feelings. Someone who was so cold.

Eventually he had to get up, clean himself up and wash the dishes. He fixed Mei her dinner and her medicine and carried them into her room where she was still asleep. He woke her up and sat on the side of her bed while she ate, staring vacantly out the window at the moonlit sky.

"Are you ok, my love?" Mei asked, recognising his silence.

"I'm fine, old woman." He teased in return. "Don't forget to take your medicine."

Mei's concerned gaze followed him as he left the room.

_I can be strong for you, Mei._ Rei thought. _I have to be._

* * *

The night was protected by the starry sky, the light of the moon streaming down onto Kai's pale skin. He floated on his back in the indoor pool, looking up at the stars through the high glass ceiling. Springtime in Russia was very cold compared to most places, but to Kai it was warm and comfortable. He swam in the nude since he was the only one home. This was _his_ mansion after all, deep in the Russian countryside where no one could easily find him.

When the Bladebreakers had split up for a holiday he had left his teammates at the airport and boarded a plane to Moscow. He didn't tell anyone where he was going, of course, since the whole point of this was to get away from them. Or, if he was really honest, it was to get away from one of them in particular.

Rei.

Of course it was Rei – it had always been Rei. Kai had not been able to stop thinking about him for the longest time. He was like a song that he couldn't get out of his head, a very sexy Chinese song.

His infatuation with the amber-eyed boy was a big problem for Kai as it was slowly becoming harder and harder to hide. While they were practising their beyblading skills together he often caught himself staring at Rei's body: the long, rippling muscles in his arms, the elegant fall of his hair wrap, the angle of his jawline, and ever so occasionally, the part of him between his upper thigh and his lower back.

There was a fire in Rei's eyes when he was training that Kai could not look away from. There was something so beautiful in his fighting spirit which was made all the more remarkable by his kind and caring nature. When Rei laughed he could make the whole room laugh with him. All except Kai, who could only stare at his beauty.

It was infuriating. Not to mention it was distracting him from his training. Kai never let anything distract him from his training, not hunger, thirst, sickness or terrible weather. But somehow, Rei had slipped into his thoughts and stayed there, unmovable, until Kai had thought his secret would make him explode.

_Thank God it's the holidays_, Kai thought, though in reality he was aching to get back to Rei's side. Though he knew it would never happen, he wished that he could be the one to make Rei laugh for once. He would like to be the one to make Rei's eyes light up and cause that musical sound pass his lips, to make his body shudder and convulse in pleasure and hear his own name being moaned in ecstasy…

"Rei…" Kai moaned out loud. His thoughts were getting away from him, and so were his urges, but this time he didn't care. He was alone. He let his hand drift down to his naked manhood and start to stroke away some of the tension that had been building up for so long. The cool of the water enveloped him. He wished he could feel Rei's body heat against him, taste his lips on his own. His stroking became more energised and his heart rate increased until a huge pressure built up in his lower area and, with a few ragged cries, was released.

Kai sighed contentedly and just lay back with his eyes closed and his mouth open in satisfaction. It had been so long since he'd allowed himself such simple sinful pleasures. As he floated there calmly he started to become aware of how empty the room was. His pool was massive, but he was the only on there. It was so weird being alone now, especially when he so often craves time like this when he is with the others. What's more, Kai started to realise, is that getting away from the team has not caused him to stop thinking about Rei. In fact it's made it _worse_.

What in hell's name was he supposed to do?

Suddenly frowning, he came to a decision. There was only one way to resolve this, and that was to face Rei in person. Kai swam to the edge and pulled himself out of the pool. He wrapped an expensive, soft white robe around him and went to book himself a ticket on the next flight China. What he would say to Rei he had no clue as of yet, but he could figure that out later. All he knew is that he needed to see him, as soon as possible. He couldn't bear to be here alone thinking about him a moment longer.

"One first-class ticket to China," he ordered over the phone. Lucky that his country and Rei's were neighbours, the flight wouldn't take very long. He would be there by morning. For a moment he considered how crazy it might be to be taking a plane in the middle of the night to see someone who he was secretly infatuated with, to arrive early in the morning not having slept and not knowing what he came to say. Then he shrugged and let the thought pass.

It's not like he would've been getting any sleep tonight anyway.

* * *

Love love love!

Clouds of Blue Fire xoxo


	2. Revelations

Thank you to the people who reviewed my first chapter! You guys are my first ever reviewers. Much love to you all!

I was very excited to write chapter 2. Hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

The morning sun was rising, its radiant fingers of light creeping over the edge of the world and illuminating the tiny Chinese airport in a soft golden glow. Kai saw the landscape through groggy, sleep-filled eyes, and despite his headache he was quite breath-taken by the sight, enough to make him trip and spill his low quality aeroplane coffee all over his shirt when he stepped off the plane. _Shit_. Now he was overtired, sexually frustrated, _and _he smelled like coffee. Clearly a great start to his practically non-existent plan.

The coffee was still very hot and it was burning his skin, so Kai ripped his shirt off and threw it in the bin, along with the Styrofoam coffee cup. The shirt was ruined anyway, and he could afford to buy another one. Besides, this place was so _hot_. Even this early in the morning Kai could feel the heat burrowing into his skin. He decided it wasn't an altogether unpleasant sensation, so he pushed the heat to the back of his mind and went to find the bus that would take him to Rei's village.

The journey took more than an hour, the bus weaving through the remote countryside, taking him deep into the mountainous territory, then down into a wide valley. The bus jerked to a stop and Kai leapt off. So this was the village where Rei had grown up? The bus drove away, leaving Kai standing wide eyed as he took in the beautiful scene.

The valley was surrounded by tall mountains with snow-capped peaks, the grand slopes of the giants clothed in dense jungle. On his right, bright green grass graced the ground between tiny ramshackle houses. To his left were fields of shallow water where rice was being grown. Workers were in the fields bending over to pick the rice, their conical straw hats like moving beige triangles in the distance.

A dirt road ran through the village. Kai followed it up the hill as the sun rose higher. Shirtless, his pale white skin caught the stares of a few locals; a woman sweeping her veranda, some children beyblading in the dirt. They all turned to watch him walk by, whispering to themselves in Chinese. Kai realised suddenly that he had no idea which house was Rei's, or how he expected to just turn up in his hometown and find him. Would he see him on the street? This village couldn't be too big, could it?

One glance ahead told him that yes, it could be. Though there were few houses, they were more spaced out the further he got down the road. They disappeared into the distance, curving around a hillside. Left with no other options, Kai stopped to speak to an old man who was lounging in a chair on his front porch. There were only two words Kai could say that the old man would understand.

"Rei Kon?" he asked him.

"Rei?" said the old man with a very surprised look on his face. Then the old man smiled at him. He said some things in Chinese, pointed down the road and made a gesture that Kai understood. _Down that way, _he was saying. _Far, far down that way._

Kai bowed his head at the man and started down the road. "Bladebreaker," the old man said behind him. Kai was surprised for a moment, and he turned to see the man smiling at him in a knowing way. Obviously the old man knew about Rei's foreign teammates, and was surprised to see one in town. Rei's beyblading successes overseas must be a real point of pride for his people. Kai shot back a cocky grin and continued walking.

The dirt road stretched in front of him and every so often he passed a house, usually small, with walls made of mud and thatched roofs. After a few impatient minutes he started running. The sun was glaring down while a cool breeze swept his face and stirred up the dirt at his feet. The tranquil grass fronds swayed. Finally he came to the end of the road where it disappeared at the edge of the jungle. To one side was a river, a shimmering blue ribbon of water flowing out of the jungle at one point only to loop back and disappear again into the wilderness. Right where the river emerged there stood a house. It was plain just like the others, but Kai got the feeling as soon as he saw it that it was Rei's house. A small yin yang symbol carved into the door made him sure of it.

Gradually, he approached. What was he going to say to him? It didn't matter, he affirmed. First he had to see him. Kai made his way as calmly as possible to the front door and he was just about to knock when a smash was heard from inside followed by a cry of pain.

_What was that?_ Kai thought. _Did Rei break something?_ More sounds could be heard now, a low grunting like that of a pig maybe, he wasn't sure. Crouching down low, he crept sideways until he was below the glassless window, right underneath where the noise was coming from. Slowly, he raised his head and peaked inside. What he saw made his stomach turn.

There were two men in the room. One of them was Rei, the other was an older man he didn't recognise. The man had Rei pushed against the wall from behind and was moving against him like a rabid dog in heat, grunting and breathing heavily. His pants were at his ankles; Rei's were nowhere to be seen. Oh God, they were… they were…

Kai had to clamp his hand over his mouth to hold in the shocked noise of horror that had built up in his throat. They were having sex. Kai was literally feet from Rei watching him unnoticed as he was being pounded from behind. There was an agonised expression on Rei's face. Suddenly he cried out in pain and yelled something in Chinese, but the stranger hit him hard on the back of the head and yelled right back. Kai could tell what he was saying. _Shut up, you whore._ He'd been yelled at in the same way many times in the past. The tone was unmistakeable.

Rei continued to cry out in pain and a huge rage swelled in Kai's chest. That monster was hurting him. How could he do something like that to the purest person he'd ever known? Kai's fists were clenched, his eyes burning with fire. He tried not to stare at where the monster's hands had a vice grip on Rei's hips, or the toned curve of Rei's bare legs. Rei's hands were pushing against the wall, his fingers curling and his whole body tense. Kai couldn't watch any more or he might just jump through the window and murder that raping bastard. Murder him with his bare hands!

Instead, Kai put his back against the wall and slid down to the ground. He fisted the soil in one hand, put the other against his forehead and tried to breath. The landscape around them was peaceful and wild, with a beauty that only the deepest parts of the world possess. Its serenity was now broken for Kai. All he could hear were the horrendous sounds coming from behind him and the image of Rei's expression as he was being raped was burned across his eyes. The minutes passed and at last the activities in the isolated house came to an end. An unnatural quiet descended.

Though anxious about what he might see, Kai's curiosity got the better of him and he peeked through the window a second time. The older man was gone, leaving Rei slumped against the wall. There was raw emotion on his face: a mixture of guilt, shame and regret that made Kai's throat tighten painfully. Rei was using these few moments alone to have a small breakdown, and Kai felt like an intruder in an even more private moment than the one he had witnessed before. Rei put his face in his hands for a moment, then ran one hand through his hair, shook himself and got up. Kai slid back down the wall so he wouldn't be seen.

What the hell was going on? He'd come here because he wanted to see Rei, but instead he had found out a horrible secret. Kai had his own experiences with rape and he feared that, like him, Rei was probably a child when it started. How long had Rei been hiding this? How long had he pretended that his home life was good? Kai had the sudden realisation that maybe the happy and carefree blader that they all knew was a lie. Maybe Rei's laughter was just as much of a mask as Kai's infamous cold exterior.

There was one thing for sure, the Rei he thought he knew had so much more to him than he previously thought. There were secrets and pain, and a far greater strength than anyone could have seen without knowing the truth. Kai's heart beat faster. Now that he'd come here he knew what he had to do. He had to take Rei away from this place. He had to save him from the life that no one had been able to save Kai from, and…

…he would have to do it straight away.

* * *

A bit of time had passed while Kai was sitting outside Rei's house thinking. The sun was high in the sky, and suddenly the front door of the house opened and Rei emerged carrying a canvas bag in each hand. He started down the road, not even noticing Kai, who had held his breath and kept very still. If Rei even turned his head to the side he would see Kai sitting there, but he didn't. He disappeared around the bend in the road and Kai jumped up to follow him.

The weird thing, Kai thought as he followed Rei down the road at a safe distance, was that Rei looked completely normal. He was in his regular Chinese-style shirt and black pants, his hair shining healthily in the sun. He wasn't wearing any shoes, but then again, Kai hadn't seen any of the other villagers wearing shoes. Rei must have bought his pair to go overseas. Also, the young tiger walked with a small bounce in his step. _He's good,_ Kai realised. _A better liar than I thought._

They reached the village centre and Kai was surprised to see a small market place had been set up. There were stalls of fruit and vegetables, rice and grains, herbs, spices, fish from the river and many local foods that Kai had never seen. Most of the village population was there buying things and bartering in loud voices. Kai immediately lost Rei in the throng of people and was about to follow him in when he thought twice about it and instead sat down on a rock beside the road, ready to wait for Rei to come back out. Then he would try to talk to him.

Rei picked his fruit and vegetables and gave the vendor his money. Today was a hard day. Jin had been drinking again. But on all days like today, it made Rei more resilient to his foster father's abuse and more determined to not let it affect him. He had to stay firm and indifferent until Mei got better. That was the goal, and he would achieve it.

His canvas bags were heavy with food as he started walking home. As he emerged from the marketplace a figure on the side of the road jumped up and came towards him. He had icy white skin, blue hair…

Red eyes…

Rei grinned in sudden surprise at seeing his teammate and couldn't help calling out to him. "Kai!" he exclaimed as the shirtless blader walked over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I have to talk to you Rei." Kai said seriously.

"What's up?"

Kai gestured to the grocery bags and - realising that he was offering to carry one for him - Rei handed him a bag and they started walking together down the dirt path.

"Rei," Kai began, "I don't know how to say this to you."

Rei became a little concerned at his friend's tone of voice. "Why don't you try just telling me straight up?" He directed an understanding smile towards the taller man. "You came a long way just to see me in my hometown. It'll be easier if you just get it out."

Kai decided to take this advice on board. "Rei, what's going on between you and the man you live with?"

Rei stopped in his tracks. "Pardon me?" he said as politely as he could.

Kai turned to face him, his expression set. "Rei… I saw him raping you."

"What?!" Rei shouted. He looked around quickly and saw they were out of hearing range of the market, then he realised no one there would be able to understand what they were saying anyway.

"I saw it," Kai confessed. "I was outside the window."

The look on Rei's face was of unmasked shock. "You saw that?" he whispered. _No no no!_ _Not Kai. Out of all the people in the world, why did it have to be Kai? _His face burned red. He couldn't believe that Kai had seen him being molested by that sick old man. Did Kai also see the pleasure Rei had felt when he climaxed, unwillingly, at his foster father's hands? Did he whisper Kai's name by accident? Oh God, what was Kai going to think of him?

Rei tried to calm down. What was going to happen now that Kai knew? The answer came to him. Nothing. There was nothing his friend could do for him, because there was nothing Rei would let him do. He had to protect Mei and if being raped by her husband was the only way to do that then he would do it gladly. When Rei realised this, he almost laughed.

"So what?" he said to Kai.

"So what?! Rei, he's hurting you! You're not safe there! Don't you understand that?"

"Of course I understand!" Rei yelled at him. He had never yelled at any one of his teammates, let alone Kai, but if Kai had seen the truth about what went on at his home then he obviously was seeing Rei through different eyes already. He didn't hold back. "You don't know what's going on in my life! You don't understand why I have to do this! Who do you think you are, just coming here suddenly and telling me my life's a mess? I know my life's a fucking mess, okay? So why don't you just stay out of it!"

"I can't do that, Rei."

"Why not?" he demanded.

"BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU!" Kai shouted.

Rei took a step back, openly stunned. Kai cared about him? What did he mean by that? A pregnant silence fell around them as they both stood there unspeaking. The sound of a few amateur beybladers having an energetic beybattle floated to them on the breeze, their fun uninterrupted by the tension between the two boys standing on the road. Kai looked like he was desperate to say something, but wouldn't dare in case he made things worse. Rei couldn't stand to see Kai look at him the way he was - as though he had to communicate his concern for him through his eyes, as though he pitied him. It was like he could see inside his very soul. Rei looked away.

"Give me the bag," he said to Kai.

"Rei…" Kai began in a pleading tone. Rei tried to snatch the bag from him, but Kai grabbed his wrist and tried to force him to look at him. Angry, Rei twisted away from his grip and slapped Kai hard across the cheek. Kai stumbled backwards, his hand on his face. He looked up to see Rei with his hand over his mouth, disbelief and shock in his eyes.

Rei couldn't believe what he'd just done. It was a reflex; an accident. Kai had just been trying to help and he had hit him! He had pushed him away. The bag of groceries fell from his hand, its contents spilling across the path. Rei turned and ran down the road, his bare feet kicking up dust, trying to see through the tears that had leapt unbidden to his eyes.

Kai watched him go, thinking of how he had once done the exact same thing to a person who had tried to help him, remembering the shame at having someone he trusted find out the truth, and the guilt he had felt at rejecting their help. It killed him to know that Rei was going through the same things he had. He would do anything to save him. He would break his own beyblade if he had to. But how was he supposed to help when Rei wouldn't allow it?

Standing alone on the path, no one saw the worried expression on Kai's face, a mix of emotion that hadn't crossed his features in years. Somehow the raven-haired boy was doing the impossible: he was making Kai fall in _love_. After all these years of blocking people out and making everyone hate him, this boy had come along and stirred up feelings and urges that Kai had thought he wasn't capable of feeling. _Why him?_ Kai wondered, but he already knew. Of course it was Rei.

It had always been Rei.

* * *

Rei ran hard, fighting to keep control of his tears. Damn it, he had never cried like this before, not publicly. Not in front of someone like Kai! He ran down to the bank of the river, to a curve that was obscured from sight by part of the jungle and far enough from his house that no one could hear him. How did Kai, the one person who made him feel self-conscious and weak, the one whose stare set his blood on fire, end up witnessing the one secret he had wanted to keep? It was so humiliating.

He knew there was nothing he could do about it now. The damage was done. Kai would never respect him like he did before, and Rei would never be able to look him in the eye again. The river flowed by slowly, and in time Rei calmed down. He picked himself up, walked back up the hill to his house, only to find both his canvas grocery bags sitting outside his front door, full of the food he had bought at the markets. Kai had brought them back for him.

The thoughtful gesture brought a tiny smile to Rei's lips and almost made him come undone again, but he forced himself to stay in control and brought the food inside. He cooked dinner early and made sure Mei took her medicine, then as the sun was setting he left the house before Jin had a chance to return.

He knew Jin would be mad that Rei wasn't there tonight, and there was the possibility that he would take out his anger on poor little Mei. As much as that tore at his heart, Rei couldn't make himself go back there tonight. He couldn't bear the thought that Kai might see him again, peeping through the windows at the shameful things that he had to do to protect his family. Instead Rei returned to the sheltered nook by the river and built himself a campfire. He cleared a space on the ground and lay there watching the stars come out overhead. Gradually, he drifted off into sleep.

Night had fallen completely when Rei woke up, sensing another presence nearby. Kai stood on the other side of the fire, his bare torso shining in the firelight. He looked like a god. Was Rei dreaming? Kai started coming towards him in a very real way and with a start of surprise Rei scrambled to his feet.

"Please don't go," said Kai, when it looked like Rei would flee. Rei relaxed and a sorrowful expression came over his face.

"No, I won't." he said, looking away from Kai's face. "and… I… I'm sorry about before. I didn't mean to hit you, or yell at you like that. I'm sure if I'd seen something like that happening to you I would have asked you about it too."

"Apology accepted," Kai shifted his feet, "and just so you know, the same thing has happened to me."

Rei looked up at him. "What?"

"I," Kai began in an unnaturally normal voice, "was raped repeatedly by the man who was supposed to take care of me. I was just a child at the time, but I remember it vividly." Kai's eyes grew soft, enough to make Rei melt. "I'm sorry the same thing is happening to you, Rei."

The amber-eyed boy gaped up at him. "I had no idea," he whispered.

The fire flickered in a mesmerising dance of red and yellow and orange, its glowing light falling on the two boys who now sat side-by-side in companionable silence, staring into the flames. _So Kai was a rape victim too,_ Rei pondered. He guessed in that case Kai probably understood his situation better than he had realised, and maybe he would be able to look him in the eye after all.

"Can I ask you something?" Kai's invitingly smooth voice interrupted Rei's thoughts. "Why did you say you have to do this? What's stopping you from running away?"

With a sigh, Rei explained. When he was done, Kai wore an expression that Rei had never seen before, one that he couldn't read. Kai looked into his face, but this time Rei didn't look away. One of Kai's hands found its way to his cheek and rested there gently. His palm was rough but surprisingly warm and Rei found himself leaning into the touch before he realised what he was doing.

"Rei," Kai spoke softly, "I'm so sorry." He had been right. Rei was so much stronger than he ever suspected. He was a diamond in the rough, and he was so gorgeous, his amber eyes glistening in the face of an angel.

They were sitting very close, Rei didn't realise how close until Kai started leaning in. The firelight left no part of Kai's handsome features unilluminated. Rei had never seen his eyes up close before, they were…

Kai's lips were on his. All thoughts Rei was having were forgotten as his mind went into overdrive from the sensations: the warmth of Kai's lips, his manly smell, the feel of his chest now pressing against his as he wrapped his arms around him. Though light and hesitant at first, the kiss quickly became deeper as both of them leaned into it, all the barriers they'd put up around each other breaking in a second. Rei wrapped his arms around Kai's neck, one hand snaking into his hair. Kai moaned into the kiss, a deep, purely primitive sound that made Rei throb in a sinful place.

They broke for air every few seconds, then dived in for more straight away. Kai's hands came around to undo Rei's shirt and pull it off his shoulders. His hands roamed over Rei's bare skin, his fingers lingering on the impression of his abs, his thumb teasing his nipple. Rei's hands were already all over Kai's body, appreciating his well-sculpted form as he'd only ever dreamed he would do. Kai broke the kiss to suck on the sensitive spot in the curve of Rei's neck, making him moan out load. How was Kai doing this to him? It was so easy. It wasn't anything like the forced pleasure he experienced at the hands of Jin. No, this was heaven.

Kai returned to the kiss and guided Rei down onto his back on the forest floor. He lifted Rei's hips up so that he could pull off his pants, his own following quickly. Both were naked now, and filled with an insatiable need. For a moment Kai held himself above Rei with his arms, looking down at him with his smouldering gaze. To Rei this all felt like a dream, though everything was so real. Every touch was as hot as fire.

"I don't want to hurt you," Kai said to him.

"I need you," said Rei. "Now." and pulled his head down for another kiss.

Kai complied, parting his legs expertly and ever so gently easing himself inside of Rei with long groans muffled by Rei's lips. When he was all the way inside Rei broke the kiss gasping. Kai was so big inside of him, but he didn't start moving straight away. His lips went to the other side of Rei's neck where he bit down gently to keep himself from losing control. Slowly, he started moving in and out in a tender rhythm, his hands sliding down to linger on Rei's hips, then travelling further to the backs of Rei's knees and lifting them up so that he could press deeper inside of him.

Rei could see the night sky through a haze of beating pleasure. The stars were blurring overhead as he yearned to feel Kai do more. "You can go faster," he whispered in Kai's ear. "It's ok, I'm used to the pain."

Kai stopped moving and Rei whined at the interruption. Kai took his face in both hands so that he could make his point clear. "I am _not_ going to hurt you, Rei. I am trying to _make love_ to you." Rei's face flushed red at this point. "This is about your pleasure as well as mine, so try to relax."

Rei could only nod, and when Kai started moving again he found the pleasurable spot deep inside of him which made him gasp and dig his fingernails into Kai's muscular back. Kai noticed, and an impish grin took over his face. He started thrusting with greater vigour and speed, right into that spot. Rei tried to hide the overwhelming desire this unleashed within him, but failed, and soon he was moaning in rhythm with Kai's movements, the sound sending thrills down Kai's spine.

The two continued their administrations to one another, a mess of tangled limbs beside a secluded campfire. Rei realised that he had never had sex while facing the other person, and that this certainly made it much more confronting, in a very good way. Kai was panting by his throat. When he suddenly grabbed Rei's penis and stroked it roughly in time with his thrusts Rei threw his head back and screamed in delight. Their motion became faster and faster until both were near the brink.

As Rei was about to climax, Kai lifted his head up with one hand.

"Look at me," he said.

Rei looked into his deep red eyes as wave upon wave of pleasure overtook him. He convulsed and shook and moaned Kai's name, and the look on his face caused Kai's orgasm to begin. Kai groaned and released inside of him, and his thrusts slowed to a stop. Both of them panted, still not breaking eye contact, as their orgasms slowly subsided and the knowledge of the realness of what had just happened settled over them.

Kai couldn't believe how beautiful Rei looked at that moment, his mouth still open in pleasure, his eyes like liquid gold burning into his own. His skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat that glistened in the firelight. His face was flushed, his hair a mess. Kai knew he must look much the same. This is the moment he wished he could give to Rei again and again. Maybe he was being selfish, but he wanted to hear Rei scream his name like he just did every day, and look right into his eyes as pleasure wracked through him. Rei was like a drug – Kai had had a taste, and now he was addicted.

Suddenly, Rei looked away, his head falling to the side in embarrassment.

"Rei, what is it?" Kai asked concerned. "Did I hurt you?"

"I…" Rei whispered, looking adorable in his sudden shyness. "I'm trying not to fall in love with you."

Kai's mouth fell open. Rei screwed his eyes shut and bit his lip, unable to believe that he'd just said that out loud. The part where Kai had made him look at him as he came had driven Rei over the edge. It had made the feeling so much more intense. He knew Kai had seen every emotion that crossed his face in that most intimate moment, and he knew that some of those emotions were probably awe, physical attraction, and love.

"What?" said Kai, gobsmacked. Rei wouldn't answer. Kai was in shock for a few seconds, then a certain feeling filled him up like a helium balloon. Rei was falling in love with him! He had never felt this way before, ever, in his whole life. He was pretty sure the feeling was something like joy.

He tried to communicate this to Rei. "Rei, you know when I said… Don't you know that…? God, I…" Chocking, he gave out a frustrated groan and rolled off him to lay on his back, one hand running over his face and into his hair. He was so frustrated at his inability to articulate himself at crucial moments. He was such an idiot. But he knew he had to try to say this or Rei would never know how he felt.

He took a deep breath. "Rei, when I told you that I cared about you, I meant a lot more than that." He began. Rei's ears perked up, but Kai seemed unable to go on.

"I know you feel sorry for me," Rei said to fill the silence. "But I'm the one with the secret crush. You don't have to lie to me just to make me feel better."

"No! That's not it! _Dammit Rei_!" Kai shouted. He got to his knees, all his muscles tensing. "You have no idea what you do to me, do you? When you're not here, you're all I can think about! When you are here I can't keep my eyes off you. I think you're the strongest, kindest most beautiful person I know but you have no idea how amazing you are and you never have a bad word to say about anyone even though you've been hiding this for the longest time..."

Kai's rant continued and, stunned, Rei got to his knees and silenced the Russian boy with kiss as sudden and deep as the revelation he had just heard. When they broke away it was as though everything had changed. There was a look in Rei's eyes that Kai had seen before, though never directed at him, never with this intensity. It was a caring look, pure and strong. Almost like love.

"Whenever he raped me," Rei confessed softly, "and I felt good, I always thought of you."

Kai's gaze narrowed knowingly. "He forced you to enjoy it, didn't he?"

Rei nodded. "But I always imagined it was you."

Amazed, Kai brought his forehead and nose to rest against Rei's. His arms wrapped around the skinnier boy's waist, holding him tight. Rei's heart sped up at the naked skin-on-skin contact. Kai's body was so warm against his.

"That makes me so happy." Kai said.

"You know that thing we did before…" Rei wore a mischievous smile. "You want to do it again?"

"Make love?" said Kai.

"Mhm."

"Absolutely," Kai said in a husky, lust-filled voice. Soon the air was filled once more with the pants and moans of two people making passionate love, and Rei came in Kai's embrace for the second time that night. Later on they did it a third time, and then a fourth. The stars moved slowly through the night sky and the fire dimmed down to a bed of coals. Exhausted, the two fell asleep completely naked in each other's arms.

Neither had slept as peacefully as they did tonight.

* * *

I just LOVE Rei and Kai together. :)

I was so excited to write this last scene, but I also think it's important that the story have a plot and a bit of drama, otherwise the fluffy parts aren't as fun.

If you enjoyed this, please review!

xo

Clouds of Blue Fire


	3. Escaping

Wow, eleven reviews! This makes me so happy!

I hope you're keen for chapter three. :)

* * *

"Fuck, Kai!" Rei yelled out as he ground down onto Kai's hips with epic force. They were both sitting up with Rei's legs wrapped around his lover, his head tilted back as they rocked together. Kai was sucking on the sweet spot on his neck, making him shiver in pleasure and the cool of the morning air. They were still at the campsite beside the river, the fire burnt down to a pile of black ash. The sounds and smells of the jungle were all around them, all the colours bright in the clear morning light.

When Kai had woken up he had forgotten where he was. Being naked and outside had caused him a few seconds of panic, before he turned his head and saw Rei sleeping on his side with his head resting on his arm. Rei was a beautiful sight when he was asleep, so peaceful and still. Kai stared at him for ages and lightly ran his hand down his naked form, drinking in the sight of his light olive skin, his soft black hair, and his toned body that was both slender and muscular at the same time.

Rei woke up as Kai's warm fingers roamed over his skin, groaning sleepily and slowly opening his eyes. When he saw Kai lying next to him an array of surprise, embarrassment and longing flicked across his face as the memories of last night flooded back to him. He blushed profusely. "Morning," he said. Their faces were inches apart. Such proximity immediately awakened desires within Rei as the smouldering red eyes of his team captain appraised him lustfully. Rei hoped Kai wouldn't notice his arousal, but given that he was naked Kai noticed straight away, and he seemed happy about it too.

_Ah, to hell with it_, Rei thought, an uncharacteristically naughty smile creeping onto his face. He was always horny in the morning, why should he hide it? He reached out with one finger and touched Kai's lips, tracing sensuously over his chin, down his neck, and back up again. When he returned to his lips Kai held his hand still, took the finger in his mouth and sucked on it. Rei's eyes grew wide. Kai looked so fucking sexy. Here he was, naked, lying next to the one person he could never have imagined he would be here with. He had no idea how his luck in life had changed so fast, but he was extremely glad it had.

It didn't take long for them to resume the activities of the previous night. Kai gripped Rei's hips to guide his motions as Rei rode him energetically. Kai had never known that another person could cause sensations like this to flood through him with such magnitude. His body was burning up, but he wanted – no he _needed_ – more. Rei seemed gripped by the same insatiable craving. Their movements grew wilder. Rei started moaning. Kai couldn't take it anymore and shot his load inside of him as his teammate tightened around him. They barely heard the primitive noises that escaped their throats over the deafening thrumming of their heartbeats in their ears.

When they finished climaxing together Rei collapsed, leaning exhaustedly onto Kai who held him tightly. They breathed raggedly, all senses heightened. Rei pulled back to look at Kai and saw the left-over look of ecstasy written all over his face. He had never seen Kai with such an open, raw expression, and Rei couldn't help it - he tried to hide his grin behind his hand but a small chuckle escaped, growing bigger and bigger until he burst out laughing.

Kai was perplexed.

"Why are you laughing?" he said, out of breath.

"It's just that," Rei said while giggling, "I didn't know your face could make that expression! I've only ever seen you look like this…" he tried to imitate Kai's serious stare and failed because he couldn't stop sniggering.

At first Kai was offended, then a realisation hit him. He'd just made Rei laugh. The sound was pure joy – it was everything Kai had hoped for. He tried to describe in his head how it made him feel, but he couldn't find the words. He wasn't very good at this whole emotional thing. He had tried to shut away his feelings for so long that he was afraid he might never be able to use them again, like he'd be unable to experience what other people did if he ever decided he wanted to - if he ever found something that was worth trying to rewrite years of mental training for.

Now he had found something – someone – who was worth it, and he wanted to experience him fully in every way humanly possible. Rei was awakening things inside of him that he couldn't put names to; he only knew that they made him feel good, terribly good, and he was hungry for more.

Kai pushed Rei off of him playfully. "Hey!" Rei protested, still laughing. They both got up to find their clothes which were scattered on the ground, a few pieces hanging from tree branches overhead. Rei's red headband with the yin yang symbol had been tossed high up in a tree, way out of reach. Unconcerned, he coiled his body and sprang nimbly into the lower branches, climbing as easily and as gracefully as a jungle cat. Kai watched, amazed. Rei dropped back down with a light thud and gave Kai a look that said, 'what?' As he was putting on the headband, he gasped in sudden horror.

"What's wrong?" asked Kai.

"Mei!" Rei shouted, panicked. "I forgot about Mei!" and he took off running, out of the jungle and up the hill to the little house. He burst through the back door and ran to Mei's room. The petit, fragile woman was sitting up in bed reading an old book and she looked up surprised when Rei came running in and flung himself at her bed.

"Mei! Are you all right? He didn't hurt you did he?" It all came out in a rush.

"Rei," she said, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "You didn't come home last night." Her soft words were full of concern.

"I know. I'm so sorry. Are you ok?"

Mei smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine."

A sigh of relief swept out of him. Jin hadn't done anything to her in his absence, but that could mean that he would be even more volatile today. Apprehensively, he asked, "Was he mad?"

Mei always knew who he was talking about. "I didn't see him, but I heard him pacing all night in the kitchen." She held his chin in her hand like a stern mother. "You be careful around your father, young man. Don't you go putting yourself in harms' way because you think you're protecting me. You know I don't want to see you get hurt. Not for my sake."

Rei stood up. "Jin is not my father," he said. Then he took Mei's hand. "But you are my mother, Mei."

The brightest smile lit up the woman's face. It faltered for a moment. "Who's this?" she said, looking at the doorway. Kai stood there watching Rei, his eyes flicking between their hands and Mei's face. He looked uncomfortable, knowing he'd entered the house uninvited and interrupted a scene.

"Oh! Mei, this is Kai. He's the captain of my beyblading team." Rei went over and pulled Kai into the room. "He came to visit me," he explained.

Mei was fascinated by the blue-haired young man with skin as white as the snowy mountain peaks outside, fully displayed by the fact that Kai was still shirtless. He tried to give a respectful hello but the language barrier left them both unable to communicate, so Kai just stood there looking awkward; and adorable, Rei thought. He didn't know if Kai had ever had a loving relative like what Mei was for him. Trying to encourage him, he forced Kai to sit on the side of the bed and when Mei reached towards him he begrudgingly let her run her hands through his hair.

All three of them smiled a little and the atmosphere became friendly. "I'm going to go make some tea," said Rei to each of them in turn, switching between languages effortlessly. He left to go to the kitchen where he found some herbal tea hidden in the top cupboard. He put some water on the stove to boil since they didn't have a kettle. He waited, and as the pot heated up he heard the sound of cascading water start up in the bathroom. Was Kai having a shower? _He might need a clean towel_, Rei realised, and got up to find one for him.

The bathroom door creaked open and Rei entered holding a fresh towel. "Kai, I brought you a…" he jumped and his hand flew to his mouth. It wasn't Kai in the shower at all, it was Jin. The tall, bearded man stood naked under the water, and when he saw Rei a malicious smile took over his face. Jin had clearly just been handling himself as his erection stood proud and tall.

"Rei! What excellent timing! I was just thinking about you," he said.

Oh no, Rei thought. He tried to make for the door but Jin's dangerous tone made him stop short.

"Where were you last night, Rei?" he demanded. "I was waiting for you and you didn't come home. I was very disappointed."

With deliberation, Rei turned to face him. "I can go out whenever I like, Jin." He said defiantly.

"Except you know I like to have you home for dinner," Jin was really angry, Rei could tell by how low and controlled his voice was. "Did you think you could skip being my special toy for a night? Have you forgotten who pays for that pathetic old woman's medication? You know what I want, Rei, and if you don't give it to me I _will_ let that old cow die."

"Don't you dare talk about her like that!" Rei shouted at him.

"Careful now, young tiger. I am at the limit of my tolerance for your disobedience, and as you can see I am more than ready for you to make it up to me."

Rei swallowed.

"Either get in the shower with me now, or I'll be dragging your foster mother in here instead."

"No," said Rei, defeated. "Just don't hurt her."

The towel fell from his hand as Rei took a tentative step towards his foster father. Impatient, Jin grabbed his arm and pulled him into the shower. Rei was still fully clothed under the spray of water, and his clothes started getting wet as Jin turned him around forced him to bend over. Rei put his hands against the slippery tiled wall for support. He was being handled very roughly this time – Jin was trying to teach him a lesson about who was in control. The grip on his arm was going to leave a bruise, but that thought got blocked from his mind when Jin pulled Rei's pants down just far enough to allow him to enter him, which he did - forcefully.

Rei tried to muffle his cry of pain because he didn't want Jin to see how much he was hurting him. He didn't want to give the man any more control over him, but this proved difficult as Jin started thrusting inside him with the stamina of an ox, his noises of pleasure reverberating off the bathroom walls. The shower water ran across Rei's back and through his hair, plunging to the floor. Jin was fucking him with great speed and Rei couldn't keep a proper grip on the wall. Animalistic grunts came from behind him and suddenly Jin slapped a hand across Rei's butt cheek with a painful 'thwack'. Rei yelped.

"That's it!" Jin said, and he slapped Rei hard on the other side. "I want to hear you scream!"

Jin continued to hit him and Rei cried out reluctantly each time. Also, the feeling of being penetrated, despite the roughness of it, was starting to make Rei feel giddy. A heat was drawing together in his lower region, and he cursed his natural reactions to the treatment he was getting. The memory of the first time Kai had made love to him suddenly rushed back to him. The tenderness and the perfect way in which he had made Rei feel pleasure with every touch was so juxtaposed against his current situation that it brought tears to his eyes. This was the complete opposite of what it was like to be with Kai. This was pain with forced pleasure, whereas Kai had given him all pleasure and no pain.

What was going on between him and Kai anyway? They had had an amazing night – and morning – together, but Kai had never said that it wasn't more than a once-off. Sure, he had said those wonderful things about him that Rei had had no idea his captain had been feeling, but what did that even mean? That Kai admired Rei more than he realised? Or could it be – Rei wished it could be – something more? Suddenly Jin's hand reached forward and gripped Rei's hair tightly, yanking his head back so that he was looking at the ceiling, his back arching painfully.

"You really are a sexy bitch, Rei," Jin growled. "You're _my_ sexy bitch. Don't you ever forget it."

Rei really hated Jin in that moment. Really, truly hated him for everything that he had done to him and for what he was doing right now. Rei had always accepted Jin's abuse blindly, knowing that other families were not the same as his, knowing instinctively that what went on at home was a secret he should never tell. But now, for the first time, someone else knew about it all, and that someone was a person Rei really cared about. The fact that that person had been through the same things as him had made Rei start to feel like he wasn't alone in his suffering.

He used to think he was completely alone in the world when it came to having to deal with all this, that he alone had to be strong, but yesterday Kai had showed up out of nowhere and changed everything. Suddenly Rei could start to see just how sick this all was, and he couldn't believe he hadn't been able to see it before. It was like he'd woken up, and now Rei's resistance to his circumstances was crumbling. He could no longer imagine it was Kai inside of him when really it was Jin; he could no longer stop himself from flinching at Jin's touch, which Rei knew his foster father hated. He didn't want to be Jin's bitch; if he had to be anyone's, he wanted to be Kai's.

But Kai had been through this too. Rei could see it in his mind's eye: Kai at an age where he was vulnerable and small, too weak to fight off the horrible man who had raped him. What had that man done to him? Had he held him down while Kai screamed in pain and terror? Had he tortured him? These thoughts were so awful that Rei felt sick. He started to hate the unknown person who had done those things to Kai, that beautiful boy who had always seemed so strong and indestructible, so confident and powerful. Such strength comes at a price and now that he knew the truth, Rei couldn't believe he'd never guessed that Kai had endured such dreadful things to become the hardened person he was now. How had he not realised?

"Fuck, yeah…" Jin moaned, getting closer to his end. Rei's face was screwed up in pain and all he could see was the ceiling rocking back and forth above him. Then he heard a sound that made his hairs stand on end - the creak of the bathroom door opening. He wrenched his head against Jin's grip so that he could look to the side. The door had opened a few inches. Maybe no one was there, maybe…

"Rei?" Kai's voice floated through the doorway. Rei bit his lip to stifle his whines of pain. He didn't want Kai to see him like this, bent over and at the mercy of another man. Jin hadn't seemed to notice that there was someone outside and suddenly increased his pace. This startled Rei and before he could stop it he had let out a loud, pain-filled yelp.

There was silence for a second, then Kai came bursting through the bathroom door.

Time seemed to slow down for Rei as he watched Kai take in the scene before him, his expression changing from worry, to shock, to anger. His hands clenched slowly into fists, his eyes burnt with rage. Jin looked up at Kai in shock, his motions inside of Rei ceasing abruptly, allowing Rei to finally pull away from his grip.

"Who the hell are you?" Jin said, but then a suspicious look came over his face as he noticed Kai's angry stance, his shirtless torso and the worried way in which he glanced at Rei. Jin may have been an uneducated brute, but he wasn't stupid. He could put two and two together.

"You little WHORE!" He screamed at Rei, and in one dramatic motion he hit Rei hard across the face.

It was then that Kai moved - so quickly that Rei didn't get to see it; he could only stagger back into the corner of the shower as Jin fell to the floor with a crash. Kai had lunged across the space between them and punched the man right in the face. Jin tried to get up, his hand holding his nose and blood streaming down his chin. Kai stood there panting with adrenaline, then he moved in and kneed Jin in the stomach. Jin swore his head off at his unfamiliar attacker, but a barrage of assaults from Kai knocked the breath out of him. He kicked and punched and beat the naked man into the floor until he lay still, his face and head bloodied.

Rei watched completely stunned as Kai bent down to check if Jin was still breathing. "Is he alive?" he asked him.

Kai nodded once, then he stood up and looked at Rei, who suddenly remembered that his pants were still down and scrambled to pull them back up. Rei turned the shower taps and the water stopped flowing, then he stood there looking at the floor in shame. He couldn't believe Kai had seen that happen for a second time, and Rei had allowed it to happen, even after he and Kai had made love. Kai really must think he was a whore.

Slowly, with the tiny steps that one would take to approach a frightened animal, Kai walked over to Rei. He stood very close to him, so close that they were almost pressed up against each other. Rei was shying away from him, but he was backed up into a corner and couldn't move away. Kai took Rei's chin in his hand and raised his head.

"Look at me," he said. Rei's eyes flicked up to his. Kai was only slightly taller than him, though his more muscular build made him seem bigger. His eyes were soft and full of kindness, which was a look Rei had never seen in those eyes before. A hint of anger crossed his face when he saw the bruise on Rei's cheek from where Jin had hit him.

"That bastard," Kai said. "I can't believe he did this to you."

"I'm sorry Kai," Rei said. "I'm sorry that it happened. I'm sorry you had to see…"

Rei didn't get to say any more because Kai leaned in and pressed his lips against his in an all-consuming kiss. When he pulled away again Rei was left in a daze, the feeling of warmth still lingering on his lips.

"It's not your fault, Rei," Kai said. "You don't have to explain."

Kai's warm voice broke something inside of Rei and before he knew it there were tears streaming down his face. Kai pulled him into a hug and Rei clung onto his shoulders, shaking with sobs. Kai just held him there, one arm around Rei's waist, the other on the back of his head. No one had ever told him that none of this was his fault, and he realised now that until this moment he had always believed that it was. As he cried into Kai's neck part of that guilt washed away. Suddenly it didn't matter if Rei felt dirty and used because of what Jin had done to him; right now he felt like a real person, not just a toy, because Kai was here with him.

Even as Jin lay unconscious on the bathroom floor, Rei felt like the world had suddenly become a stronger, safer place. Kai pulled away to look at Rei. "Okay, stop crying now, you stupid jungle cat." This made Rei laugh and he tried to dry his tears.

"I'm taking you away from here," Kai said decisively, and he took Rei's hand and led him out of the bathroom, out of the house, then suddenly they were on the dirt road and they were running. Kai pulled Rei along, their hands bound together tightly. Both boys were incredibly fit and running was no effort, even in the heat of a spring day in China. They passed through the village centre where the markets had been the previous day. The locals watched them pass with astounded and curious faces. Rei knew they must look strange; he was soaking wet from head to toe and Kai was a shirtless foreigner, both of them running hand in hand down the street in the middle of the day.

They reached the point where Kai had got off the bus when he first came to Rei's village. As luck would have it, there was a bus already there. It was waiting as a small group of elderly people climbed aboard, getting ready to go into town for an outing.

"Where are we going?" Rei asked.

"To my place," said Kai.

Rei asked the bus driver to let them on, and since he recognised Rei as the world-famous beyblader from this tiny village he let them have a seat right up the back of the bus where the two boys wouldn't disturb the elderly passengers. This was good for them because they wanted some privacy. The bus was only half full and everyone else was sitting at the front, so Kai took this opportunity to turn to Rei and say, "I'm so sorry Rei. I shouldn't have let you out of my sight."

"What? Don't be! It's not your fault either." The amber-eyed boy exclaimed, looking out the window as the bus started to move down the jungle-sheltered road. Rei was still very red in the face and his breathing was abnormal. Kai noticed, but he couldn't see the reason, until he looked down. Rei was aroused - the bulge in his pants was quite large even though it was half-formed. The effects of the treatment that Kai had interrupted had not yet worn off, but Rei was ignoring it out of embarrassment. This made a wave of guilt come over Kai even as heat gathered in the crotch of his pants.

"Rei," Kai whispered seductively as his hand moved to rest on Rei's upper thigh. The Chinese boy looked down at Kai's hand in surprise. Kai leaned in close to Rei, his other hand moving to stroke his hair. "You've got a hard on. Do you want me to take care of it?"

"What?" Rei gasped. Kai's hand moved slowly up Rei's thigh, up and up, until his palm was pressing on Rei's arousal and he felt the sexy boy twitch.

"Kai!" Rei tried to protest. "Stop! You don't have to do that…"

"But I want to," Kai replied as Rei started to harden fully under his massaging hand. "It's my fault you were forced to get so worked up. Let me help you finish."

Rei opened his mouth as though he wanted to protest again, but when he didn't say anything, Kai leaned down over Rei's lap. Rei was stunned when he realised what Kai was going to do. He also realised that several of his fantasies were about to come true, and that's exactly what happened as Kai released Rei's arousal from his pants and took it into his mouth.

Rei moaned in bliss as Kai's mouth swallowed his aching length, sucking slowly up and down. One of his hands flattened on the glass of the window as his head tilted back, the other snuck into Kai's soft hair. The warmth and the wetness of Kai's mouth felt incredible. Rei had to bite his lip to keep from screaming in elation in case someone turned and saw, but the risk of being seen made it all the more exciting. Damn it, Kai was really, really good at this. How had he learnt to suck cock so fucking _well_? He was leading Rei through a world of pleasure, and he didn't know how long he would last.

Kai's hands ran up and down Rei's thighs as he went down on him. He had done this so many times in his own fantasies, imagining what Rei tasted like and how big he was. Kai wanted to hear him moan with every slick of his tongue, and he was annoyed that Rei was biting his lip. Experimentally, Kai slipped off Rei's shaft and licked the tip fervently like a dog lapping water. He heard Rei's swallowed groan resonating in his chest. It gave Kai satisfaction to torture Rei with pleasure, and he went down on him again, this time faster, harder and deeper.

Both Rei's hands gripped Kai's hair as he felt a huge heat grow in his lower region. Kai's motions were making him weak with building pleasure and he couldn't escape it now, he couldn't stop it. With a cry he couldn't control Rei's release overpowered him. It seemed to last longer than any release he'd had before, and when it was over he slumped against the window, exhausted and deeply gratified.

Kai sat up with a satisfied smile. Seeing Rei in post-orgasmic bliss, and having brought him to that point himself, he thought this might be the most sensual point in his life so far. He had always been attracted to Rei, since the first moment he set eyes on him. Now finally he could be with him, he could make love with him, and most important of all, he could protect him from that bastard called Jin.

Kai pulled Rei over to him so that his head was resting on his shoulder. Rei's hand gripped Kai's knee in a silent _thank you_. The bus drove on and in only a couple of hours, they had reached the nearest airport.

* * *

Kai bought them each a first-class ticket on the next plain to Moscow and waited patiently in the airport seats for Rei to join him. Over at a phone booth, the ebony-haired beyblader spoke in low tones, thanked the person on the other end, and hung up. Kai looked up as Rei came and took the seat beside him.

"How'd it go?"

"Well, Jin's being taken to hospital. He's in quite a state. The paramedics say he's in a coma and the chances of him waking up any time soon are slim. Also, the nearest hospital is in Beijing, so even if he does wake up soon he's going to be far away."

"Then we'll have plenty of notice," Kai concluded, "and we can come back and stop him before he can cause any more harm to the people around him."

Rei smiled. "I can't believe you put Jin in a coma."

"I can't believe I didn't put him in Hell!" Kai said. "He should be thankful he's still alive."

An announcement came over the loudspeaker. "That's our plane," Rei translated. "We'd better join the queue."

They stood up to board the plane.

"Hey," said Kai, "what about Mei?"

"Oh, I've asked one of the mothers to take care of her while I'm away on an 'urgent family matter in Paris'. I have an uncle in Paris, so she wasn't suspicious."

"One of the mothers?" Kai asked.

"Yes, one of the mothers of the White Tiger team. Mariah's mother, actually. You remember, the one with…"

"Yes, I remember her," Kai said while rolling his eyes. How could he forget the girl who wore so much pink? She was the one who was jealous that Rei had switched teams to join the Bladebreakers. Kai used to think that maybe she and Rei had been together in the past, but now that he knew for sure that Rei liked boys he was greatly comforted and his petty hate for Mariah was diminished.

"What's your place like?" Rei asked Kai.

"You'll see soon enough," he said mysteriously.

As their plane took off from the ground, Rei looked out the window and watched as the countryside grew further and further away. He couldn't see his tiny village, buried as deep in the mountains as it was. _I'll be back for you Mei, _Rei promised. _As soon as you need me, I'll be back._ _Jin will never lay a hand on us again, I promise you that._

Kai put an arm around Rei's shoulders and the young tiger leaned into his embrace. In the space of two days, Rei had gone from dreading his holidays to being excited about spending them all alone with Kai at the secret place where he lived. If so much had happened in the last two days, he wondered how jam-packed the rest of the holidays were going to be. Kai only thought about how lucky he was to have Rei all to himself for the foreseeable future. It was going to be fun.

He was sure of it.

* * *

Will Rei be able to keep his promise?

I knew exactly what was going to happen in this chapter as soon as I finished chapter 2, but it took much longer to write because I got so freakin' busy! It is so frustrating when that happens. Oh well.

Still, I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it! :D

Love and hugs for you all!

Clouds of Blue Fire xo


	4. Suspicions and Seductions

Far out, this chapter is more than five thousand five hundred words! Holy cow.

Thanks again to all my reviewers and the people who have favourited this story! You are much appreciated. xx

* * *

The evening sun threw rays of pink and purple light across the clouds as it slowly slid under the horizon. Rei watched the Russian countryside go past from the window of the black limousine, marvelling at how different the landscape was from the place where he grew up. Grassy planes and hills stretched into the distance and were dotted by occasional trees and bushes. It looked like a cold place, and Rei knew it was from the time he'd visited for the Russian beyblade tournament, but thankfully Kai had told the driver to turn up the heating in the car so that Rei wouldn't have to shiver in his light-weight Chinese clothes.

Kai was seated beside Rei and was talking on the phone in fluent Russian. The language was so foreign to him that he could barely make out the syllables, but he liked the way Kai's voice sounded deep and smooth and natural. It was Kai's mother tongue after all. Adding to Rei's heightened awareness of Kai's closeness in the small space was the fact that Kai had his hand resting casually on Rei's knee, and was ever so slowly sliding it up his inner thigh. The touch was both possessive and comforting, and it gave Rei goose bumps which he hoped that Kai wouldn't notice. What would his captain think if he knew such a small thing could affect him this way? It was a little embarrassing that Rei's control over his feelings – which had been strong in the past – was slipping after the events of the past few days.

The seats of the limousine were the most comfortable Rei had ever sat on. The leather looked very expensive. When they had landed at the airport Kai had said that his personal driver was picking them up, but Rei had not expected to see this elegant vehicle pull up beside them. Its shiny, extravagant look emanated wealth. Did this mean Kai had money? Surely not. He had never worn expensive clothes or gave the impression that he was wealthy; in fact Rei was sure that Tyson had said he had met Kai when he was running the streets with the Blade Sharks. So how does a former street kid afford to hire a limousine? Rei wondered.

Or maybe he's asking the question the wrong way around. How does a rich Russian boy end up on the streets of Japan?

Rei had always wondered about Kai's past from before he became the captain of the Blade Breakers, but Kai had never given much away apart from his Russian birth and his bad tempered grandfather Voltaire. Even until recently, when he had been the one teammate Kai was able to tolerate and show respect for, Kai had never confided in him. Now Rei thought that Kai might start to open up to him, or at least he hoped that was what this all meant, and he had a strange feeling that there was a lot he was going to find out, things that his dark and mysterious friend had been hiding from his teammates right from the start.

He was left no more time for thoughts as suddenly they pulled up in front of a pair of tall elaborate wrought-iron gates. They were a rusted black and looked very old, looming over their limousine like the guardians of an ancient castle. A high stone wall curved off to either side from the gates and beyond them the driveway disappeared a long way into the trees. Kai hung up his phone and kept a subtle watch on Rei's face as the old gates swung open automatically and the car crept up the driveway. He squeezed Rei's leg encouragingly, though his face remained as stern as ever. Rei looked up at him.

"Is this where you live?" he asked.

"Yes," Kai said. "This was my father's estate before he was disinherited from the family. Now it is mine."

Kai had never spoken of his father before. There was a strange faraway look in his eyes when he mentioned him. Rei made a mental note of that but decided not to push Kai for information. He was Kai's guest here, after all, and his instincts told him to be patient.

Soon, a huge mansion came into view and Kai was well rewarded by the look of open awe on Rei's face. There was a circular driveway with a large fountain displayed in its centre, crowned by a stone sculpture of a huge phoenix in mid-flight, water spraying from its open beak and the tips of its glorious wings. Behind that was the largest house that Rei had ever seen, with white marble stairs leading up to heavy double doors, and numerous windows appearing on each of the three storeys. As they pulled up in front of the steps he could only see the front of the mansion and the lush gardens that surrounded it on either side. If its size was anything to judge by then there must be a lot more of the house stretching behind it.

"Welcome to my manor estate," Kai whispered in Rei's ear.

"Kai, this is amazing! Since when have you… What are you doing?" His breathless remarks were cut short when he noticed Kai pressing up against his side, his face an inch away from his own. His hand was all the way up Rei's thigh now, pressing against his private area. It sent heat to Rei's groin. His heart beat fervently.

Kai's red eyes locked on his. "I've never brought anyone else here before. Would you like a tour?"

Rei couldn't breathe, so he couldn't speak, so he nodded.

"Good," Kai leaned across him to open the door, his eyes never leaving Rei's. As soon as the door was open Rei scrambled out and breathed in the clear air. _And I thought Kai was intense during training! _Clearly that was nothing compared to being Kai's spontaneous lover.

Kai got out of the car, showing no sign that the cold affected him even though he was half-naked. When he was younger he had spent many nights outside in a snowstorm with no clothes to wear at all as part of his merciless training at the abbey. Now he was practically immune to Russia's biting chill.

He took Rei's hand and pulled him up the steps. The double doors were opened by an old man in a western style black and white suit who greeted Kai in Russian with a polite bow.

"Evening Ivan," Kai spoke to him. "I don't suppose you could find me a shirt?"

"Of course, young master Kai. Was it the coffee again?" The kindly old man chuckled as Kai scowled. How many times had he thrown his shirt away because it had gotten stained? Kai didn't like to be reminded. _Stupid aeroplane coffee…_

The entrance hall was large with a very tall ceiling and a grand chandelier dangling from above. Before them, a carpeted staircase climbed to the second level and branched off into two staircases which wound up to the third level. Ornate white banisters framed the edge of the staircase. Rei had a sudden childish impulse to run up the stairs and slide down the curving slope of the banister as fast as he could, but he quashed the thought out of embarrassment.

Kai had never really seen his playful side since he had almost always disappeared on his own whenever the team had a break from training. He had missed the huge water gun fight they'd had in Tyson's backyard, when they had all gotten soaking wet and splattered with mud. Kai had come back and wondered what the hell they had all been doing, but no one could stop laughing long enough to explain.

It was too bad really, Rei thought. Kai would have looked great soaking wet, with his clothes clinging to his muscular form, his hair dripping with sexy. Rei had no idea that Kai had thought Rei looked smoking hot that day, and that was the reason he didn't let any of them change clothes for their afternoon training session.

Kai began the tour, leading Rei up the staricase. This had been the home he'd spent the first five years of his life in, before his father had abandoned his family and he'd been left in his grandfather's care at the abbey. The memories that lived here were painful in their innocence and simplicity, all created in a time before training to become the world's best beyblader had taken over his life. Nevertheless, his father's manor had become a place of refuge for him, the only place where he could be away from Voltaire, his team and his obsessive fans. The only place he could come to be left alone.

Except he didn't want to be alone anymore; not here, where the silence made his thoughts all the louder. There was only one thing he'd been able to think of, and that was Rei's lips, the sweet sound of his voice and the way his body moved when he walked. He knew he was going crazy, and the only way to offset his obsession was to replace his thoughts of Rei with the real him. That had been the reason he'd gone to see him.

And now Rei was here with him. God, he looked cute when he stared around in amazement, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open.

"Kai, this place is huge! How do you keep it clean?" It was a silly question, Rei knew, but his tiny house had been hard enough to keep tidy on his own and seeing this mansion it was the first question that jumped to his mind.

"I have a handful of staff that take care of the upkeep," Kai explained. Of course he wasn't going to do all the work himself.

Kai led him through doors, down hallways decorated with lush carpets, up winding staircase and across vast floors with high ceilings. The place was very modern for a mansion, with a clean, spacious feel and lots of light flooding in from glass windows that reached from the floor to the ceiling. There were hundreds of marvellous paintings on the walls, most depicting bitbeasts in remarkable detail; their claws, fangs and beaks raised ready to strike, the fierce fire in their eyes almost as real as a photograph. Rei saw his own bitbeast, Drigger, hanging beside the other tiger bitbeasts that came from his village. Dragoon and Draciel also had their own paintings. They were all majestic and unmoving in their frames.

"This is the living area," Kai explained as he pulled Rei through a huge room with a tiled floor. On one wall a huge TV hung suspended in front of a long lounge suit with bean bags and tables spread over the open space. To the right, a large set of doors opened up onto a lush, Japanese style garden which surrounded a shallow pond. There were stepping stones across the water and a fountain in the centre. Rei barely had time to admire the tranquillity of it before Kai pulled him into the next room.

"The library," Rei didn't need Kai's explanation. Every wall was dominated by shelves and shelves of books reaching up to the high ceiling. Ladders ran around the walls and an old oak desk stood to one side of the room, covered in pieces of paper. "And also a study," Kai said.

The next room was dark. The light of dusk couldn't penetrate the huge blackout curtains drawn across the windows, but Rei perceived another large space by the way their breath echoed across the room.

"What's in here?" Rei asked as he poked his head in the door.

Kai was behind him. "It's an old beystadium. It's in disuse. The dish had been damaged beyond repair." He himself had broken it in one of his rages. He had been beyblading to release his frustration - something he had since learned to never do indoors – when in the heat of fury he had unleased Dranzer's full power and the dish had shattered and the whole floor had collapsed. Kai had been lucky the whole house hadn't been structurally damaged. Thankfully, his father had designed the miniature beystadium to withstand the immense pressure of a bitbeast's attack and the damage was confined to that room.

Rei shut the door and they continued down the wide corridor. The fact that he didn't ask Kai how it had happened showed that he had already guessed. Rei knew Kai quite well in that regard, not to mention he was pretty perceptive. Kai really admired that about him, though it had always made him wary of Rei in the past.

They entered a dining room. A long table stretched in front of them. Through a small door to the side Rei could smell a delicious meal being cooked.

"Dinner is almost ready. Would you like to eat now or shall I show you your room first?"

"Actually," Rei said meekly, "I'm not feeling too well. I don't think I should be eating tonight." Kai's red eyes seemed to burn into him. He blushed under the blue-haired boy's concerned gaze. "Can I use your phone?" he asked, just to get away from him for a few minutes. "I want to check up on the state of things at home."

"There's a phone in there," Kai pointed to another door, and Rei thanked him and went inside. Kai let him have some privacy, but the worried look never left his face. Was Rei acting strangely because Kai now knew about his secret, or was he uncomfortable being in Kai's home?

Rei didn't like it when others were worried about him or went out of their way to make things better for him. He particularly didn't want Kai to be worried about him; he wanted Kai to know he was strong enough to handle himself. But the truth was that he was still a little queasy from the plane ride, and from the last time Jin had raped him. It was hard to get the memory of Kai's face when he barged in on them out of his head.

Beyond the door there was a sunroom where Rei assumed dinner guests were meant to be entertained before entering the dining room for dinner. There were some luxurious couches and rugs on the floor, and a fireplace on the far wall. Rei spotted a telephone on a side table and went to sit down beside it. He dialled one of the only numbers he knew off by heart and waited as the phone connected to the international line. He heard it ringing on the other end.

A girl's voice answered the phone.

"Hey Mariah!" Rei was surprised and delighted to hear her voice. He hadn't seen his best childhood friend in ages. "I didn't know you were coming home for the holidays!"

"Rei!" she practically screamed in excitement. "I know, the White Tigers decided to take a break from training and visit home for a while. I heard you were here, how come you left?"

"Oh," Rei didn't know what to tell her. _I was being raped by my foster father and Kai beat him to a pulp and whisked me away from there_ just wasn't something he could say. "I had to go do some extra training. It's been pretty intense." He tried to laugh to cover his lie. It was only half a lie anyway, things definitely had been intense. Rei had to shake himself to stop his thoughts drifting back to the memory of Kai's touch on his skin.

"Where are you?" Mariah asked.

Oh dear, truth or lies? He decided the truth wouldn't hurt for this one. "I'm at Kai's place."

"You're with _Kai_?" Mariah wasn't Kai's biggest fan. "That cocky blue-headed demon you call a captain?"

Rei really did laugh this time. "Yeah, he's got a _huge_ house. You could fit our whole village in here."

"No way."

"And there are paintings of bitbeasts on the walls. Even Galux and Drigger are here."

"Sounds like the lair of a psycho to me. Wait… I thought mum said you'd gone to Paris to see your Uncle Stanley?"

Rei smacked himself on the forehead. How could he have forgotten that? He was such an idiot! "Yeah, I'm going to visit him soon. He wants me to taste a new dish he's invented."

"Oh, cool!" She seemed to believe him. Then her tone changed. "I really miss you Rei."

"I miss you too. How's Mei doing?"

"Mum's looking after her. She seems healthier all of a sudden."

_Probably because Jin's out of the picture, for the moment at least, _Rei thought. "I'm so glad to hear that. I always worry about her."

"Well you shouldn't, because my mum's taking good care of her."

Rei sighed. "I guess I should have known she'd have everything under control."

"Hey Rei," Mariah sounded too casual. Rei knew it meant she was about to ask him a question he didn't want to answer, and he was right. "How did Jin end up in hospital?"

"Oh, um, well… There's… You see… It doesn't…" There was no lie Rei could give her that would satisfy her, but he also couldn't tell her that Kai had attacked him, because Mariah would definitely want to know why. Everyone in the village thought Jin was a saint for taking Rei in when he lost his parents. No one was going to believe the truth.

"Rei?" she asked.

"Listen, would you check that Mei has enough medicine for me? If she runs out you can get more from the pharmacy in town."

"But Rei…"

"And can you feed Lin for me too? She can't eat mice all the time or she'll get a stomach ache." This part was totally ridiculous, but he had to keep talking so that he could avoid answering her question.

"Ok Rei, but…"

"Thanks so much Mariah. I really appreciate you, you know that right?"

There was a pause on the other end. "I know," she said eventually. "I miss you Rei. Come visit us soon, if the blue demon will let you."

They both laughed. "Sure thing," Rei said. "Talk to you later."

"Bye Rei." They both hung up.

Rei breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Mei was all right for now, but he hoped Mariah didn't get suspicious about the way he avoided her questions. A thought occurred to him, something he'd been trying not to think about since Kai had appeared in his village. He knew the issue couldn't be avoided forever, and it would be best to address it sooner rather than later. His mind made up, he went off to search for the blue-haired demon boy, his footsteps a tiny echo down a long white corridor.

* * *

Mariah hung up the phone with a frown. Why had Rei not wanted to tell her how Jin got beaten up? There was no way Rei himself could have done something like that. Her Rei was a gentle soul. Even his fierce competitive spirit would never lead to him practically murdering his own foster father, the man who had looked after him since he was small.

Something strange was going on, Mariah could tell.

Deciding to investigate, she went on over to Mei's house. The sickly woman was sitting up in bed, her nose buried in a book. There was a bit of extra colour in her cheeks today and when she saw Mariah come in, she smiled.

"Hello, Mei." Mariah smiled back at her. "You look really well."

"Hello kitten. I love when you come to visit me. Come sit down."

Mariah sat on the edge of her bed. "I just spoke to Rei," she said. "He's gone to stay with a friend."

"I'm glad," said the lady. "That boy spends all his time either training or looking after me. It's about time he had some time to himself."

"I guess that's true," Mariah had never really thought about how much Rei must worry about his foster mother and how all-consuming having a sick member of the family must be. "He really does care for you Mei."

"He cares about you too, kitten." The woman smiled kindly at her. Mariah blushed and looked away. _If he cares, then why isn't he here?_ She thought. She never saw Rei anymore, except at tournaments. She had wanted to spend some time with him playing in the village, beyblading together like they used to when they were kids. She missed those days so much, but she missed Rei even worse.

Maybe she could do something nice for Mei, since Rei wasn't here. "Do you want me to take you into town, Mei? We can go and visit Jin in the hospital. I'm sure he'd…"

"No!" Mei practically shouted, her face horrified and angry.

"Why not?" Mariah asked, suddenly worried. "Are things not good between you and Jin anymore? Did you have a fight?"

Mei didn't answer her, and Mariah started to think that she had overstepped herself in asking such personal questions. But then Mei did something Mariah didn't expect: she put her head in her hands and started to cry.

"Oh no! Don't cry! Oh, Mei…" the young girl crawled up beside her and put her arm around the woman's shoulders. Huge sobs wracked the frail lady's body, her tears streaming down her face and onto the bedspread.

"What's wrong Aunty Mei? It's all right, you can tell me." Mariah whispered to her soothingly. Mei sat up, one hand still brushing the tears from her eyes. Her throat was closed up and she could barely speak, but Mariah thought she heard a few of the words. "Never forgive… selfish… hurt… Rei…"

"…hurt Rei?" Mariah couldn't make sense of what Mei was saying. "Who hurt Rei?"

Mei could only look up at her, eyes red and shining. Her face was plastered with anger and sorrow, her eyes pleading with Mariah as though she felt she couldn't answer her but begged for her help at the same time. The depth of the emotion surprised Mariah; she had never realised that something had been going on between Mei and Jin. Rei had never said anything about it, he had never even hinted at a family dispute. But Mariah knew Rei well because they'd grown up together, and she knew he never liked to burden his friends with his own troubles. But if Mei was having a problem with Jin, not Rei, then why would… unless..

A horrible thought hit Mariah like a brick. She grabbed Mei's shoulders.

"Did Jin hurt Rei?" She asked her desperately. Had her best friend in the whole world, the one who had protected her from bullies and taught her how to beyblade, been hiding something horrible from her? She had to know.

A terrible feeling filled her as Mei's stunned silence answered her question, followed by a spike of panic that she had to fight to control.

"Mei," she spoke as calmly as she could, "please tell me what's been going on."

* * *

As Rei wandered the halls looking for Kai, he started to hear music. The sound was beautiful and complex, full of a bittersweet sadness that wormed its way into Rei's heart and pulled him towards its source. He followed the music to a room that Kai hadn't shown him. The door was open a crack, and Rei pushed it open and peeked in.

Inside was a room with a wide open floor and tall elegant windows framing one side. The floor was an elaborate wooden mosaic, barely lit by the moonlight that streamed in. It was a ballroom, if Rei was correct. In the back corner, on a raised platform, there stood a grand piano. Kai was seated there with his back to the door – finally wearing a shirt, Rei noticed - the beautiful music flowing from his fingertips effortlessly.

Rei stared at Kai as the music washed over him. He had never heard anything so lovely or so melancholy, and it was all the more amazing that it was Kai who was playing it. Rei knew he had emotions, he knew that his captain must be keeping them bottled up, but until right now he had never seen proof. There was so much emotion in the music that Rei felt tears come to his eyes.

Eventually, the music flowed to a stop. Kai sat at the piano with his head bowed, the effort of releasing so much feeling into his music leaving him breathless. No matter how many times he played he could never get used to having his heart so exposed, and yet he still loved to play. It released a huge ache inside him that he didn't know was there until his fingers hit the keys.

"That was amazing," a voice said behind him. Kai looked up in surprise as Rei came to sit beside him on the wide piano stool. "I had no idea you could play the piano. You have a gift Kai."

Rei was always this way, Kai thought, so honest and friendly, never giving a hint of his own pain.

"I have something I want to talk to you about," Rei started. He didn't quite know how to put his thoughts into words, so he just said it. "I want you to take me back home."

Kai was startled, then suddenly angry. "Why?" was all he said.

"Because I can't ask you to keep me here just because I have nowhere else to go. Jin is going to come home eventually, and I have to be there to take care of Mei when it happens. There's nothing you can do to prevent that."

"Yes there is," Kai said angrily. "We're going to find a way. I'm not letting you go back to that place. I don't want that man to ever touch you again."

"But this is not your problem, Kai. It's not your responsibility, it's mine."

"Of course it's my problem!" Kai was shouting now. "I know what's been happening, now I have to help you. So you can forget about me leaving you behind!"

"You don't understand," Rei was getting frustrated.

"I can't help you if you don't let me in, Rei!" Kai shouted back. "When will you let go of your pride enough to realise that you need my help?"

"That's just it, I don't need your help Kai! There is nothing you can do to help me other than take me away for a while, and that isn't going to solve anything. You have to take me back home."

The silence in the room was awful. Then Kai responded.

"Part of caring for others," Kai said lowly, "is letting them take care of you."

Rei gaped in surprise. When had Kai become so wise in the ways of love? His tone had been one of absolute surety, the expression on his face so open, almost pleading with Rei.

"But you don't care for me, do you," said Rei. "You only lust after me. I know the difference. I'm not a fool."

"Are you crazy?" Kai whispered. "You don't think I care about you?" He had even told Rei he cared about him in the market place when he'd confessed to witnessing Rei being raped. Was it that easy for Rei to forget what he had said? No, something else was happening here. Kai himself had done this before. Rei was denying everything in his life that could help lift him out of his horrible situation because he thought he needed to handle it alone. He had always dealt with it all on his own, and now he didn't want to start relying on his friend because it would mean being vulnerable in front of him.

Running away with him for a little while was one thing, accepting his help was another. You can't change your whole life around in a few days. Kai's help, if he accepted it, would be long-term. Rei couldn't put that burden on him, even if it meant taking years longer to fix the problem by himself.

The two boys stared at each other. The tension in the air was so thick it was tangible. Rei's face was a picture of wonder and pain, and Kai couldn't stand the way his golden eyes pierced his. When he couldn't take it anymore, he rushed forward and pulled Rei into a brutal kiss, his hands on both sides of his head, his tongue invading his mouth with urgency. Rei was shocked by the suddenness and the force of it. He could feel Kai's need in the pressure of his lips on his, and in the urgency with which he started tearing off their clothes. This was the only way Kai could fully express how much he wanted him, and Rei was immediately seduced, unable to deny how much he wanted to stay with Kai even if his logic told him he couldn't.

Having succeeded in removing their clothes, Kai lifted Rei up on the piano and climbed on top of him. Kai took him right there on top of the piano, the darkness faintly illuminated by the ribbons of moonlight falling through the windows. Their clothes were on the floor, the door still open a crack.

"Kai, you don't have to…" Rei looked up at him with gorgeous golden eyes.

"Shut up," Kai said. "I'm so mad at you right now." He sheathed himself inside of him in one go, making Rei gasp. Kai's hands gripped either side of his face, their noses millimetres apart. "Don't you dare tell me you don't need this too."

Rei's hesitation fell apart under Kai's ministrations. The sex was more forceful than before, Kai's body trembling with need between every sharp, hard thrust, filling the boy beneath him with a mixture of sweet pain and pleasure. Rei was making noises in the most erotic voice Kai had ever heard as his legs wrapped around Kai's hips. One of his hands gripped the back of the blue-haired boy's neck, the other went above his head and down onto the keys of the piano for support, making a crashing discordant song vibrate through the air.

Kai pressed his lips against Rei's roughly, immersing himself in the taste of him. His tongue slipped inside Rei's mouth and explored the warm cavity. Rei returned the kiss passionately, but Kai dominated. He needed to make Rei understand what he was trying to deny. How could Rei not know how much he needed him after all that was happening now? He knew he was being stubborn, that Rei's survival instincts – the product of years of bearing his suffering alone - had refused to allow him to depend on Kai or admit how much he wanted Kai's help. The thought of Rei trying to carry that burden alone even when Kai was right there willing to help was torture to the older boy. The last thing he wanted was for Rei to suffer.

Kai's hands roamed freely over Rei's body as he penetrated him vigorously. Soon his hand closed over Rei's arousal and stroked it long and hard. Kai had to break away from the kiss as Rei started screaming in pleasure, his eyes closed and his head tilting back enough to allow Kai to bite his neck. With his teeth and his tongue Kai marked the boy below him as his own. The pleasure of being inside him was quickly driving Kai over the edge, and he thrusted even faster.

At Kai's change of pace, Rei climaxed. His back arched off the piano as uncontrollable spasms took over his naked form. Kai was still thrusting into him, moaning out loud in a deep-throated primal sound. Rei's eyes flung open as he felt Kai cum inside him. There was a small gap of light coming through the open door, one electric blue eye watching them through the crack with an all-seeing gaze. The world was spinning. Rei couldn't think through the pleasure; he didn't realise he'd been screaming Kai's name until he settled down and the climax faded.

He closed his eyes again to enjoy the blissful calm. Kai was mumbling in his ear incoherently in Russian, but Rei knew what he was trying to say. Kai rolled off of him and they both lay panting on their backs on the piano, the tension in the air now diffused and satisfied.

With a start, Rei sat up. In the haze of his oblivion, hadn't he seen a blue eye watching them? He jumped down and ran to the door, peeking down the hallway in both directions. It was deserted.

"What is it?" Kai asked, coming up behind him.

"I thought I saw someone out here," he said in confusion as Kai's arms wrapped around his middle and his back was pulled against Kai's muscular chest.

"You must have imagined it," Kai whispered in his ear, and he pulled Rei back into the room.

Perched on the tiny ledge above the door, the invader's electric blue eyes glinted with a devilish smile.

* * *

Looks like things are going to get interesting. :P

Hope you all enjoyed!

Xoxo

Clouds of Blue Fire


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